Pokémon Sword and Shield - Something Glorious
by GlazzKage
Summary: After being convinced to participate in the Gym Challenge by Hop, upcoming Pokémon Trainer Gloria discovers something infinitely more important than badges and fame. This fanfiction will combine elements from both Sword and Shield.
1. Chapter 1

I'm gonna be honest here. Up until today, I never really thought I had much of a purpose in life. I always felt empty. A hollow husk of myself. Maybe it's just because my little hometown in Postwick is kind of boring. There's my friend Hop, I guess, but he can get pretty annoying, what with his obsession with pokemon type matchups and whatnot, and I kind of am, well, not interested at all. Well, not completely, I guess. Pokemon are cute and all, but battling them seems so dull. Self-defense is one thing, but for fun? Honestly, I'm not sure.

Oh, I think I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Gloria. I have brown hair that I keep in a bob cut, but to be honest, I would much rather dye it black. It fits who I am. My eyes are purple, which my mom says was inherited from my father. I don't believe her, but I don't really care. People say that they make me look pretty, and I guess there are enough of them to be believable. Maybe. But then-

"Gloria! Hop's at the door!"

This early in the morning? Really? It's 7:00 and he's already here? Why?

"He said he wouldn't be here until at least 8:00!"

"You know how excited he is about the Gym Challenge, Gloria! Give him a little credit. At least he didn't get lost on the way here like Leon does."

That's right. The Gym Challenge. He convinced me to sign up for it a few weeks ago, and to be honest, I don't know how. All I can remember is Hop promising me that it won't be boring. I suppose I couldn't ask for much more.

"All right," I sigh. After rolling out of bed and throwing on a quick outfit, I walk downstairs and head outside...


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm going to be honest here, Gloria. We may have been childhood friends, but that doesn't mean that I'll be going easy on you as a rival! I have to continue Lee's legacy, after all!"

Classic Hop. With his thin build and purplish hair, it's really hard to imagine him going hard on anyone. That's not to say he isn't lovable… in a pathetic sort of way, but he's less "intimidating" than he is "cute." Especially when he's in your living room watching reruns of Pokemon battle tournaments while your mother prepares you a quick snack.

"Well, You're the expert, Hop," I say in a vague attempt to seem like I'm paying attention, "so if anyone can beat me, it's you."

Another thing about Hop: he's not very… well, he's not very _perceptive_. I don't know if it's a consequence of him living in such a small town or just an inherent trait, but he is terrible at receiving social cues. Once, I tried to tell him that I couldn't go to his seventh birthday party, and he took it as an invitation to mine. My birthday was three months before his.

Okay, maybe he's just an idiot. A lovable idiot. A persuasive, lovable idiot.

"Woah, Gloria, check this out!"

Onscreen, I see a massive Charizard absolutely incinerate… something. Whatever it was, I'd be surprised if it was still standing.

"That's called Dynamaxing! Or, actually, it's Gigantamaxing, but I'll get to the difference later. Basically, Lee's Charizard just tapped into some sort of weird power beneath the stadium, and it grew huge!"

Onscreen, once the smoke fades, all that's left on the battlefield is a very crispy Eldegoss and the Charizard, which shrunk down back to normal size (or as normal as a Charizard can get). I don't really care about that, though. What really catches my eye is the winning trainer on-screen.

"Oh, it's Leon!"

Hop grins. "Yep, that's Lee! Looks like a rerun exhibition match, though."

Suddenly, his smile fades, and he checks his phone. "Oh, wait! He's finally gotten to the station! We gotta meet him there!"

He jumps up from the couch and makes a beeline to the door, nearly tripping on his own feet as he scrambles to leave. Before I can process it all, he's already gone. For someone who can barely communicate, Hop sure can run.

"I'll be waiting by Route One! Tell your mother thanks!"

Right as I shut the door behind him, my mother walks in with a tray of sandwiches.

"...did he already leave?" she asks, placing the tray down on the coffee table.

"I think so."

"Well, I know he didn't eat breakfast, so bring him a sandwich, okay?"

After a quick run into the kitchen, she brings me two brown sacks with a sandwich and an apple in each. "Be sure to keep him safe, okay? He's got the spirit, but he's a bit dim sometimes."

"Will do, Mom. See you later!"

I grab my rucksack and our lunches. "Oh, and Hop said thanks."

I step out and shut the door.


	3. Chapter 3

I begin to sprint down the road to Route One, silently cursing Hop for being able to run so fast. It doesn't help that I can barely run _and_ have this massive bag on me, plus Hop's lunch. I don't make it 10 meters before I hear his voice again.

"Hey, Gloria? Uh, check this out," he says from behind me.

I whip around and see him pointing at a Wooloo running into a fence gate. It leads to the Slumbering Weald, a very dark, very misty, and quite scary forest right outside of Postwick. Hop and I were banned from ever going there, and I remember a child sneaking through the gate and never being the same when she came back. Definitely not something an unsupervised Wooloo should be dealing with.

"Well, let's... shoo it away or something," I suggest.

Hop shuffles around the Wooloo and tries to distract it, but to no avail. It seems too distracted by the allure of the other side of the fence. I try to do the same, but only get baa'd at for my efforts. A few more minutes of this later, I come to an epiphany.

"Hey, I brought us lunch. You think it would stop tackling the fence for an apple?"

Hop shrugs. "It's as good an idea as any."

He pulls the apple out of his lunch sack and gets the Wooloo's attention. This time, the Sheep Pokémon doesn't keep attacking the fence. He flings the apple down the road, where it bounces down the road, around a corner, and out of sight.

"Nice going, Gloria! You're a genius! Definitely worthy of being my rival!"

I must admit, even I impress myself sometimes.

And with that, we set off for the train station (again).


	4. Chapter 4

Hop and I don't make it very far until we're blocked off by a large group of people spanning the length of the entire road. Based on their excited shouts and the banners they wave around, it can only mean one thing-

"Lee's back home!"

Without any warning, Hop darts straight into the mass of excited townspeople, weaving in and out and between and around them to move ahead just a little bit. I follow behind on the narrow path he leaves, apologizing to the people we accidentally bump and jostle (read: everyone). For someone so klutzy, he sure is persistent. After a minute or two of ducking between people with a concerning level of body odor and nearly tripping on several very confused Wooloo that were unfortunate enough to find themselves in the horde as well, we burst out from the front of the crowd.

Right in front of the station stands Leon, Hop's brother. Well, to most, he's known as the "reigning undefeated Pokemon League Champion" with his "also undefeated Gigantamaxing Charizard." The two of them are striking a pose which may come off as a bit conceited to the average passerby, but to us locals, it's a rallying point for our hometown hero. While I don't get the whole Champion part of his claim to fame, it would be ridiculous for me to not feel dazzled by Leon's aura of completely reigning, "undefeated Pokemon League Champion" vibes, along with his whole also undefeated "Gigantamaxing Charizard" aesthetic. After all, he is the reigning undefeated Pokemon League Champion, and he does have an also undefeated Gigantamaxing Charizard. Not very many people can say that.

Including Hop. When he rushes up to embrace Leon, there's no doubt that they're related, but there's something about Hop that just feels... not inferior, but definitely not quite up to scratch with the grand shoes that Leon's leaving him to fill. Maybe it's how thin he looks, or maybe it has something to do with how he doesn't have a cape with several sponsor logos sewed onto it, but Leon's grandeur just naturally overpowers Hop. That doesn't stop him from nearly knocking Leon over with a hug.

"How have you been? Are they here? Do you-"

Peeling the very excited boy off of him, Leon says something to him that I just can't quite hear, but it convinces Hop to let go for a moment. He then addresses the group of fans surrounding them.

"Thank you, everyone, for your support! As the reigning undefeated Pokemon League Champion, I assure you that I will try to make a Champion time for all of us during my visit."

He says a few more things to dismiss the crowd, and being the reigning undefeated Pokemon league Champion, his suggestion is treated as a command. Within minutes, the group disperses, and soon, it's just the three of us.

"Welcome home, Lee!" Hop says with an excitement that I haven't seen from him since I opened the front door for him this morning. "I can't believe today's the day!"

Leon only chuckles. "It's good to be back. Anyway, i know that you're excited, so let's head back home... if we can remember where home is, anyway."

Ah, yes. Klutziness and a terrible sense of directions: the two trademarks of Hop's family.

Suddenly, I hear a voice from behind Leon. "Um, Mr. Leon, sir? What about me?"

"Oh, Victor! Of course you can come! You're practically family."

A boy my age steps out from behind Leon. With brown hair, brown eyes, a grey knit cap, a red sweatshirt, and blue jeans, his outfit seems quite comfortable, if also quite fashionable. He's pretty good-looking, too, if also a little bit sheepish.

"Oh, Gloria! I don't suppose you've met Victor before. He's... what do you call him. Something of a protege for me, I suppose. I'm sure you two will get along well. If he can get along with Hop, then he can with anyone."

"HEY!" Hop protests half-jokingly.

"I kid, of course. Now, let's head back home... it's down that path, right?" Leon asks.

"Sir, that's the walkway back into the station."

"Oh, yes, of course! That way then!" Leon says, proudly leading us down the road to our houses. "Off to have ourselves a champion time!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Hop, I swear home is down that left turn. Look, there are buildings there and everything!"

"Lee, we've been down that left turn three times. Let me just-"

"No! I need to prove to you that I can make it home by myself!"

"Lee, you're absolutely pants with directions. How did you even make it to the right town?"

Chuckling a little bit, I turn to Victor, who seems amused, if also unsurprised by the Champion's inability to find his way around his own hometown.

"Victor, was it?"

He seems a bit shocked by my sudden decision to speak to him. "Uh... yeah. What's- what's up?"

I shrug nonchalantly. "Nothing, really. I just figured that if we're letting Leon walk us home for the next two hours, I might as well get to know you."

The ends of his lips raise slightly. "You do have a point. A whole year of being Mr. Leon's understudy and I have no idea how he can be so clueless. With battling, he's nearly unmatched, but basic skills? He doesn't stand a chance... at all."

Our small group passes the same turn again. Hop looks like he might start screaming. Or crying. Maybe both.

"**Lee! We have passed this turn four times in _five_ minutes! You can literally see home from here!"**

"That's the neighbor's house, though."

"**_Lee!"_**The brothers continue jabbering at each other for a minute until Victor steps in.

"Mr. Leon, you managed to make it halfway home, and to be honest, sir, that's an achievement in and of itself. I think we can let Gloria take the rest."

The two of them pause for a moment.

"Fine," they both mutter at the same time. Leon looks like his ego took a hit, while Hop just looks generally irritated.

Normally, I would be annoyed for being put on the spot, but at this point, I just want to get home.


	6. Chapter 6

A whopping two minutes later, I navigate our small group home, and we didn't even pass that same turn again. Amazing.

"Huh. Home was closer to the train station than I remember," Leon mutters quietly. "Did you move it at some point?"

"'Did you move it at some point?'" Hop asks in a slightly mocking tone. "The only thing that moved is your brains - straight out of your left ear."

"You never know," Victor replies as we walk up the steps to Hop's house. "There have been stories of people who wake up, and their houses are suddenly in the middle of the Wild Area."

"Those were when people lived in little cottages," I argue. "But I suppose it wouldn't be crazy if something managed to push a house down the street."

Leon jumps ahead of Hop at the last minute and opens the door to their house. "Yeah, like that one cartoon where the fish push the entire city somewhere else! See, Gloria gets it."

Hop shakes his head, his face hinting at a sense of betrayal. "Hey, Mom! Leon's home!"

Leon pokes his head into the house, and the two brothers say something to their mother in the house. I don't hear the rest of the conversation that they have, but when they turn back to us, Leon has a slight smile on his face; Hop's is closer to a massive, kind-of-dorky grin.

"So, I know that you didn't know this, since I told Hop not to tell you. But I know that you aren't incredibly enthusiastic about being a part of the Gym Challenge, so I have a little gift for you three."

Digging around in his left pocket for a moment, he pulls out four Poke Balls. They're of the typical design, but their slight sparkle and shine in the sunlight suggests that they're new. "Well, even if you _were_ as excited for the Gym Challenge as Hop is, I still would have gotten this for you guys. For one, I know that Gloria and Victor don't have any Pokemon to call their own yet. And I'm sure that Hop's Wooloo would enjoy some company."

I feel a sudden twinge of anxious curiosity. "What's inside?"

Leon grins, nearly mirroring that of his brother, who looks like he might pee himself out of sheer excitement.

"Well, there are a few. I wouldn't get you all the same Pokemon... that would be lame."

He tosses three of the balls up into the air, and they open with a brilliant flash...


	7. Chapter 7

Once the light from the Poke Balls fade and I can finally see again, I turn to where Leon tossed the capsules and see three small Pokemon in front of us. They're all pretty cute, but also a bit strong-looking. Almost immediately, they all start to scatter across Hop's front yard and play, completely ignoring the people watching them. I wish I could do that myself.

Almost immediately, one of them catches my eye. It seems to be some sort of water lizard Pokemon, which makes sense; the first thing it went for was a small pond that Hop has in front of his house. It jumps in with a light splash, and it makes a cute little squeak sound before dousing out a small fire which another one of the three started. That one seems to be a fire rabbit, which seems much more interested in running circles, starting small blazes wherever it steps. Fortunately, the water lizard seems to be perfectly fine with dousing the flames every time it looks like they might get out of control.

Well, that is, until the little grass monkey shuffles up the tree above the lake, shakes one of the branches with a stick (where did that stick come from? did it always have it? did it pick it up off of the ground?), and drops it on the water lizard's head. Then all heck breaks loose.

With a stunned cry, the water lizard suddenly sprays water everywhere, including onto the fire rabbit, which panics and accidentally kicks a stone up at the tree, nearly hitting the little grass monkey. In an attempt to dodge it, the little monkey instead falls off of the tree and into the water.

Leon only chuckles lightly. "Okay, guys, come back."

Almost completely forgetting about the chaos that just unfolded in front of them, the three Pokemon shuffle back in front of Leon, completely unfazed. I guess I can add "hardiness" to the list of their traits that I admire.

"So, Gloria, since you're the reason why we're doing this, why don't you go first?" Leon says in a kind voice.

"Yeah, plus I already have my Wooloo!" Hop says, with just a slight hint of disappointment in his voice. I guess I can't blame him too much.

"And don't worry about me," Victor adds. He's standing next to me, and I don't ever remember him being there. I must have gotten really distracted with watching the Pokemon. "Leon's already got me covered."

I sit and contemplate that for a moment. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting any of this. I knew that you needed to have at least one Pokemon to participate in the Gym Challenge, but it never really dawned on me that you'd have to, you know, get one. For the first time. Long-term thinking is _not_ one of my stronger points.

"Truth be told, I really like all of them," I mutter quietly.

"You have to pick one, you know," Hop says, impatient as ever.

"Well, I really do like the little lizard chap. He's quiet, and still really cute. But the rabbit, too..."

Agh! Having six pairs of eyes on me (including the Pokemon, who seem very interested in my choice) is not helping me make my decision. Still, I guess I do have to make a choice. A moment's deliberation later, I slowly walk up to the lizard Pokemon.

"Leon? I think I like this one."

He smiles. "Ah, that's Sobble, the Water Lizard Pokemon! I've noticed that this one's a bit timid, but I think you two will get along just fine."

I hold out my hands to Sobble, and almost immediately, it jumps up and high fives me with its little lizard hands.

I love him so much.

"I guess we're partners, now, little guy," I say quietly. "What do you think of that?"

It nods and climbs up my arm, nestling itself right on top of my shoulder. It's quite heavier than I expected. Still, I don't think I'll mind it.

"Congratulations, Gloria! With this, you've taken your first step toward..."

Leon's voice is slowly filtered out of reality as I feel Sobble adjust itself on my shoulder. While I can't say that battling is one of my biggest motivations for the Gym Challenge, if it means I can spend time with this little guy, I think I'll like it.


	8. Chapter 8

"So you chose Sobble, huh?" Hop says eagerly. "Nice choice! Perfectly fit for my rival! Hm... if you chose Sobble, then... I'l pick Scorbunny then!"

He walks up to the little fire rabbit and says something to it I can't quite hear. If I had to guess, it probably has something to do with battling and being the Champion of Galar. It nods and makes a happy sound.

"That makes it final then! Scorbunny, you're with me now!"

The two of them jump in unison, which is admittedly really cute. I laugh a bit, which causes Sobble to shuffle around on my shoulder a bit.

"Heh, they're quite the pair, aren't they. It hasn't even been five minutes and they look like they're made for each other," Victor says behind me. I jump, and Sobble scrambles up to the top of my head in sheer panic.

A bit flustered, I reply, "Well, uh, yeah. Of course. Wait, but what about-"

My attention goes to the little Grookey sitting in the center of Hop's yard, poking the ground with its little stick. It seems a bit downtrodden, probably from hearing what it was about to miss.

"Hey, uh, Leon. What about Grookey?"

Leon walks over to the grass monkey and picks him up in the middle of Hop's minutes-long rant about how he, Scorbunny, and Wooloo are going to be the greatest team that Galar has ever seen.

"And you'll come with me. Charizard will show you the ropes. Oh, and Victor..."

A bit more rummaging in his pocket later, he pulls out a fourth Pokeball and hands it to Victor. "This is yours. I think that you and Dreepy will get along well."

Victor smiles a bit. "Thank you." He opens up the ball, releasing a small, ghostly-looking dragon Pokemon. It's cute.

Leon says something about how the three of us will be able to battle and become better and stronger or something, but I end up being distracted by the Pokemon chasing each other around the yard. I think I've got the gist of it.

"...hey kids! Dinner's ready! Bring your Pokemon and let's eat!"

The smell of grilled meat and vegetables wafts across the yard, where Hop's mother somehow set up a grill and cooked a pretty wide assortment of food without us noticing.

Hop jumps up and cries out happily. It makes sense, since he didn't have lunch. He never ate the sandwich that Mom-

Wait. Where are the brown bags with our sandwiches? I never put them down, I thought. Between meeting Leon at the station then making our way back home, I didn't even have time to put them down... oh, well. I can't really worry about it now, and it doesn't even matter.

My stomach growls. Yeah. I think right now, all I need to care about is the food that's _here_.


End file.
